Is Britic's Security TRICK a good idea?

The Pool Man · 23 Oct 2019

Greetings,

I've learned a lot at these forums. Thanks to all you veteran users tolerating a Mac to Windows SWITCHER.

I've also learned a lot of British YouTuber Britec. He has a bit of advice here that I find interesting. That you not use your Admin account but instead a second account. Why? So that everytime you want to install anything your 'real' Admin account kicks in and demands a password. The notion is that the malware simply won't know that password and you're protected.

(My memory is getting vague now but I have a feeling MacOS does this by default.)

Anyway, here's the video -- YouTube

What do you think?

Samuria · 23 Oct 2019

Its standard prcatice in any secure enviorment and on Linux pcs

Bree · 23 Oct 2019

The Pool Man said:

... a bit of advice here that I find interesting. That you not use your Admin account but instead a second account. Why? So that everytime you want to install anything your 'real' Admin account kicks in and demands a password. The notion is that the malware simply won't know that password and you're protected....

That was essential advice back in the days of XP, but now in Windows 10, even when signed in as an administrator, you are running processes and apps as a standard user - and so would any malware that tried to run. It's User Account Control that kicks in when something tries to install or requires admin rights. It kicks in for both a standard user and an admin user, the only difference being that a standard user need to provide a password.

So its not so important to use a standard account in W10 unless, that is, you are prone to click OK without reading the notice. Having to enter a password makes you think more about what you are agreeing to, but doesn't really add any more security. It's not a bad idea to use a standard account, just to get the extra time to think 'do I really want to enter a password for this?', but it is as safe, if you stay alert, to use an admin account.

EXAMPLE: User Account Control prompt

(Administrator)

(Standard user)

Change User Account Control (UAC) Settings in Windows 10

Hackett · 23 Oct 2019

The Pool Man said:

Greetings,

I've learned a lot at these forums. Thanks to all you veteran users tolerating a Mac to Windows SWITCHER.

I've also learned a lot of British YouTuber Britec. He has a bit of advice here that I find interesting. That you not use your Admin account but instead a second account. Why? So that everytime you want to install anything your 'real' Admin account kicks in and demands a password. The notion is that the malware simply won't know that password and you're protected.

(My memory is getting vague now but I have a feeling MacOS does this by default.)

Anyway, here's the video -- YouTube

What do you think?

I watched that today and was wondering if it was a necessary thing to do.

Josey Wales · 23 Oct 2019

I only use one account in Windows 10, in Linux one is forced to but I am not saying that it is wrong. I have never had a problem with security in the last 5 years on Windows 10.

The Pool Man · 23 Oct 2019

Thanks for opinions y'all.

Steve C · 24 Oct 2019

The Pool Man said:

Greetings,

I've learned a lot at these forums. Thanks to all you veteran users tolerating a Mac to Windows SWITCHER.

I've also learned a lot of British YouTuber Britec. He has a bit of advice here that I find interesting. That you not use your Admin account but instead a second account. Why? So that everytime you want to install anything your 'real' Admin account kicks in and demands a password. The notion is that the malware simply won't know that password and you're protected.

(My memory is getting vague now but I have a feeling MacOS does this by default.)

Anyway, here's the video -- YouTube

What do you think?

Yes, it's more secure to use a standard account for everyday use and a separate admin account for occasional system maintenance. I also install a reserve admin account on my PCs in case of problems with the main admin account.

Compumind · 24 Oct 2019

IMHO -

Use the Standard Account as your primary and the Administrator Account only when required.
The Standard Account should work just fine under normal circumstances.

Enable or Disable Elevated Administrator account in Windows 10

Your system security should protect you on both. Double check with this file - it's safe:

Download Anti Malware Testfile – Eicar

Additionally, create a clean full system image backup on a frequent basis.
Don't forget the tested boot media for restoration.

TairikuOkami · 25 Oct 2019

Typical malware auto-elevates itself, but a password can prevent it, even one symbol long will do.
Standard account is much more difficult to auto-elevate, but it is a pain to use, even for skilled users.

Try3 · 25 Oct 2019

TairikuOkami said:

Typical malware auto-elevates itself

When I looked into this I did not find any malware that could elevate without generating an Admin prompt if UAC was at its maximum setting.
- There were several examples of malware being able to avoid generating an Admin prompt yet still access elevated privileges if UAC was at its default [second highest] settings.

Additionally, I did not find any examples of malware being able to deal with any Admin prompt on the "Secure desktop" i.e with UAC at either its default or the second highest setting. Unless remote control software has already been sanctioned by the real user, a real user is needed to press the key / enter a password.

Denis